A business magnate has amassed the biggest collection of classic cars in Britain after purchasing 350 vehicles.
The collection, which is worth a staggering £40 million, means that Rodger Dudding has had to spend an additional £7 million upgrading his garage in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire.
With more than 350 vehicles in his collection, Mr Dudding, 79, is still planning to add to his ever expanding fleet of iconic cars.
Rodger Dudding has amassed the biggest collection of classic cars in Britain after purchasing 350 vehicles. He is pictured with some of his vehicles in his garage in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, including a Nissan Figaro (left) from 1991
With more than 350 vehicles in his collection, Mr Dudding, 79, is still planning to add to his ever expanding fleet of iconic cars. Pictured right is a Ferrari F355 GTS 1995 an Aston Martin Lagonda. Left is a Jaguar XK120 Drophead Coupe from 1954
Above is a Hispano Suiza 8 to 10hp Type 24 from 1918. After the Second World War, the car manufacturer focused more on aerospace engineering before being purchased by Snecma 1968
The self confessed motor head arguably has one of the most important car collections in Europe due to the varied nature of his collection. Above is a Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary from 1989
The multi-millionaire’s love of cars started as a teenager when his father purchased a 1952 Morris Minor. Although the car could only reach a top speed of 65mph, Mr Dudding was in awe of it and it takes pride of place in his collection today.
He said: ‘If people ask me my most valuable car then I would have to say my late father’s 1952 Morris Minor. It is totally and absolutely an original.’
The self confessed motor head arguably has one of the most important car collections in Europe due to the varied nature of his collection.
Mr Dudding has a variety of different cars from the luxurious to the more mundane everyday vehicles, the oldest car in his collection is a 1911 Vulcan tourer.
He said: ‘I can look upon a motorcar in many cases as a piece of three dimensional art. It doesn’t have to be an expensive motorcar. It could be very small motorcar.
‘And as an art collector of major specialist brands I thought there was a gap there and people were not necessarily saving for posterity, for history, and that’s why I buy unusual pieces of machinery.’
Among Mr Dudding’s unusual assortment of cars he boasts 24 Aston Martin Lagondas, a rare model from the British car manufacturer who only ever built 645.
Considered by many to be the Marmite of cars, opinions are mixed on the unique vehicle due to its sharp lines and lack of curves on the exterior.
Mr Dudding is pictured sitting in the driver’s seat of his father’s old Morris Minor. Although the car could only reach a top speed of 65mph, Mr Dudding was in awe of it when his father purchased it in 1952 and it takes pride of place in his collection today
Mr Dudding has a variety of different cars from the luxurious to the more mundane everyday vehicles, the oldest car in his collection is a 1911 Vulcan tourer. Pictured is an Austin 7 White Rabbit race car from 1930
A mini motorised Aston Martin, which is worth about £200, is also included in the collection, despite it being aimed at children
Pictured is a Clyno convertible from 1927 and a grey Jaguar SS 2.5 Litre Drophead from 1938 (worth around £390,000 second hand)
Vulcan 15.9hp tourer with dicky seat from 1911. It is in a completely original condition but lights were replaced in the 1970s and a bulb horn added
Dudding said: ‘The Aston Martin Lagonda, you love them or you hate them. I am now up to 24 which I’m told is the largest collection in the world. You probably have to be nutty to own one, and you should be taken to the lunatic asylum if you’ve got three or more. I don’t know where that positions me.’
The entrepreneur’s business acumen is just as impressive as his car collection with an estimated net worth of £162 million, according to the Sunday Times’ Rich List.
A former apprentice engineer for the Royal Navy, Mr Dudding was forced to leave after injuring his back while on the job.
Mr Dudding’s new studio will house several of his vehicles. It will also be used as an events space and comes equipped with a state-of-the art sprinkler system, two purpose built parking lifts and round the clock security
Above is the white leather interior of one of the Aston Martin vehicles, which has gold hardware and wooden panels
Mr Dudding is pictured in front of a parody car based off the iconic car in TV show Only Fools and Horses. The car in the show was a Reliant Regal Supervan but the car above is a Skoda Felicia Fun Pick Up from 1999
Above is the Hispano Suiza 8 to 10hp Type 24 from 1918. In chassis form it sold in England for £320 in 1914. This particular model was remained in production through to 1922
Mr Dudding’s shelf is filled with various motoring memorabilia, including a mini car, several books about cars, drivers and models of frogs
Using his engineering knowledge, in 1970 Mr Dudding invented a paper ticketing machine – a device to help manage busy queues in places such as butchers and supermarkets.
Initially called the ‘Take a Ticket’ system, he has renamed it the queue management system which is still being used by companies today.
He said: ‘They still use our system in Harrods and Selfridges and all the major supermarket use the system on their counters.’
He also has an impressive array of motorbikes from various decades including one of the world’s only Bentley motorcycles.
Mr Dudding is pictured with a Rolls Royce Wraith from 2014, which is worth around £190,000 second hand
Above is a Rolls Royce Phantom from 2010 (worth around £160,000 second hand), a 2005 Range Rover (worth around £9,000 second hand) and the Rolls Royce Wraith
He also has an impressive array of motorbikes from various decades including one of the world’s only Bentley motorcycles
Above is a BSA Motorcycles A10, from 1956. The BSA Golden Flash was a 646 cc (39.4 cu in) air-cooled parallel twin motorcycle designed by Bert Hopwood
A former apprentice engineer for the Royal Navy, Mr Dudding was forced to leave after injuring his back while on the job. He later made his cash after inventing a paper ticketing machine
Mr Dudding said: ‘This is the only two wheel vehicle in the world permitted to be badged Bentley. So, it is bit of an unusual one. But again you have to be bonkers enough to buy these things. To me it is just history.’
With his collection continuously growing, Mr Dudding has recently finished the development of his latest studio which will house more of his vehicles.
It will also be used as an events space and comes equipped with a state-of-the art sprinkler system, two purpose built parking lifts and round the clock security.
He said: ‘When we bought this building. It was just a ground floor and then the roof. We took it apart basically and pile drived the whole lot and we’ve now built a total of five floors.’